FamilyFans Music

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SINCERELY

Bruce Gaitsch / Autumn Records

Fan Appeal: Guitar fans of any age

Genre: Instrumental / Acoustic

If you’re looking for something a little off the beaten path – check out the upcoming release from Bruce Gaitsch. You may think you haven’t heard him before – but you’d probably be wrong. You see, this former Chicago music scene veteran has been playing and writing songs for a long time.

From an early age, Bruce had musical inspiration all around him. His father played pedal steel on the WLS Barndance for years and he owned a music store that was frequented by up-and-coming musical giants such as Ted Nugent, The Shadows of Knight, The Buckinghams and Chicago. This early exposure led Bruce to a musical career that includes more than 3,000 recording sessions in Chicago and the writing of songs for many well-known artists, including Timothy B. Schmidt of The Eagles, Peter Cetera, Chicago, Kansas, The Fixx Restless Heart, Poco, Philip Bailey, Tom Scott, Agnetta Faltskog (ABBA) and Lara Fabian.

A few career highlights you may immediately recognize include Bruce’s co-writing efforts on the Top 5 radio hit, “Don’t Mean Nothing,” recorded by Richard Marx, and his first number one hit, “La Isla Bonita,” which was co-written by Gaitsch, Patrick Leonard and Madonna.

His release, “Sincerely” is truly a treasure for acoustic guitar fans. Bruce’s meticulous pursuit of the art of recording the proper sound of an acoustic guitar really pays off and shines through on this project. His high praise of McPherson® guitars is fully justified upon listening through these tracks. “Usually, acoustic guitars are recorded mono, compressed and equalized so that they don’t interfere sonically with the other instruments to be recorded,” Gaitsch explains. “I wanted this guitar to be captured as I hear it while I play. It is the world’s finest sounding acoustic guitar, and the fidelity and feel of it as you play is an incredible experience.”

Gaitsch is joined by the soothing background vocals of his very talented wife, Janey Clewer, as well as his daughter, Samantha, on flute, and Howard Levy on harmonica. These four together have produced an unparalleled musical experience.

There is something different going on as you listen to these tracks. More to be appreciated as a fine wine after a long day, the melodies on this CD are expressive and contemplative – certainly much more than mere mellow background instrumental music. The songs invite you in, from the warm and melodic “Miss Sam” and the emotional “Jenny’s Dream” to the uplifting “Mia’s Day.” My favorite moment, however, is “Swamp Thang” where Gaitsch engages Levy in a guitar vs. harmonica duel from the bayou.

If you’re a fan of acoustic guitar, you’re going to want to drink this in. Fans of jazz guitar music or perhaps Phil Keaggy will immediately resonate with the passion going on here. The effort put into producing this project also will certainly be appreciated and recognized. Easily recommended.

FAMILYFANS RATING: B+

--Eric Jaqua

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